Given the apparent sensitivity of cryptocurrency markets to regulatory and political developments, it stands to reason that the world's leaders — and what they think about crypto — will be vitally important in determining the direction the cryptocurrency market will travel in the future. Many leaders have been willing to sit back over the past few months and let crypto develop — more or less — organically, yet it's becoming apparent that the time for official action is drawing increasingly near, at which point Bitcoin, et al. will either bear the brunt of government 'crackdowns' or will benefit from favorable …

Marcel Cassar, the newly appointed chairperson of the Malta Bankers Association, said that blockchain tech sounds like a “banker’s dream.” Cassar also claimed that cryptocurrencies are “here to stay,” according to a June 17 interview with local news outlet The Malta Independent. Cassar begins the interview by noting that the banking industry has to keep up with the fast-changing digital world, making the comparison of the present environment to “rush-hour gridlock trapping a Formula 1 car.” This slowdown, in his opinion, means that although blockchain sounds like a “banker’s dream” and a “total game-changer,” due to its authentic and reliable …

A group of Oxford professors are seeking full-degree granting powers in the EU for the world’s first “blockchain university”, according to an email shared with Cointelegraph today, June 14. According to the team of academics behind Woolf Development, led by Joshua Broggi from the Faculty of Philosophy at Oxford, blockchain tech and smart contracts can help democratize the traditional structure of higher education. The proposed “blockchain university” will adopt the traditional Oxbridge course and collegiate structure by focusing on individual tutorial-led modules that will be available to students either on- or offline. The project’s design is “geographically agnostic,” prioritizing a …

Denmark has signed a declaration to join a total of 24 European Union member states that support pan-EU blockchain standards and solutions, local news outlet Finans Watch reported June 4. The EU blockchain partnership was formed on April 10 as part of the European Commission’s Digital Day with the intention of enhancing cooperation among member states for developing blockchain tech. Brian Mikkelsen, the Danish Minister for Industry, Business and Financial Affairs, said after signing the declaration Monday that Denmark will be “the first country in the world [to] use blockchain technology to register ships in the Danish ship registers.” He …

The Netherlands’ Land Registry is expected to test blockchain technology for national real estate data, local tech platform Computable reported Thursday, May 31. Koen Huisstede, an enterprise architect at the Land Registry, has said that the institution is seeking to understand what the “relatively new” technology means for the property sphere, and expects a blockchain solution will be integrated into its system “within one to three years.” The Land Registry is tasked with overseeing ownership, mortgage rights, and all third-party data related to the national property market, and is reportedly seeking to explore the technical, legal and governance aspects of …

Draft legislation that would favorably regulate blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies has received unanimous support in the Spanish Congress, Europa Press reported yesterday, May 30. The draft initiative, agreed upon with the majority parliamentary party Partido Popular (People’s Party), won the support of all parties present at the House Finance and Public Function Committee meeting on Wednesday. The document calls for a review of regulations pertaining to cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC), as well as to blockchain, proposing to introduce the technology to the Spanish market through “controlled testing environments,” commonly referred to as ‘regulatory sandboxes.’ The Congress has agreed to …

The BlockShow Europe 2018 conference ended yesterday, May 29, after two days of panels and speakers, including Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales and BTCC co-founder Bobby Lee. Speaking about the conference, Bobby Lee told Cointelegraph: “I think conferences are important to get the word out there, to educate people and help them learn about cryptocurrency and blockchain. This is how we get on-board the next billion people.” Sarah Jordi, Marc P. Bernegger, and Olga Feldmeier at BlockShow Europe This year’s BlockShow Europe was five times bigger than the previous one in Munich last spring, and twice as large as BlockShow Asia …

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a sweeping and stringent European Union (EU) wide legal framework for personal data privacy, became effective on May 25. Ready or not, this framework is going to drastically transform the business of any digital venture. The International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) forecast that at least 75,000 privacy jobs will be created as a result, and that Fortune's Global 500 companies will spend close to $8 bln in order to ensure they are compliant with the GDPR. But what does this mean for the blockchain? The GDPR’s goals are: to create a uniform data …

Research from the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) has reported that about $1.2 bln in cryptocurrencies have been stolen since the start of 2017, Reuters reported Thursday, May 24. The $1.2 bln figure is a combination of both reported and unreported thefts, with about 20 percent or less estimated to have been recovered. Dave Jevans, the CEO of cryptocurrency security firm CipherTrace and chairman of the APWG, told Reuters that the new General Data Protection Regulation from the European Union - which comes into effect May 25 - will negatively affect global law enforcement agencies ability to find criminals stealing cryptocurrency: …

Barcelona Tech City will create a specialized space for blockchain technology development, local news outlet La Vanguardia reports today, May 24. The blockchain space will consist of a second building near to Pier01, the headquarters of Barcelona Tech City that opened in summer 2016, and will most likely be occupied by Spanish blockchain network Alastria, according to unnamed sources. Pier01 currently houses 1,000 professionals from tech startups and innovation hubs as part of the city’s digital ecosystem in the reconverted Palau de Mar. La Vanguardia writes that the different buildings of Barcelona Tech City will be connected by electric vehicles …

The last four suspects in a two year case against alleged pyramid scheme OneCoin have been prosecuted in China’s Hunan Province, government-supported local news source the Justice Network reports Wednesday, May 23. The Zhuzhou Country Procuratorate of the Hunan Province examined 106 people, publicly prosecuted 98, and recovered around 1.7 bln yuan (around $266 mln) from over 20 provinces across China in the course of the case. Those prosecuted have received up to 10,000 - 5 mln yuan in fines (about $1,500 - $782,000) as well as four years or less of prison time. In 2016, Chinese authorities had already …

Switzerland is ranked number one in a list of the top ten European countries for starting a blockchain company, according to a study released by blockchain conference BlockShow Europe 2018. In the list of best countries for starting a blockchain company, Gibraltar and Malta follow Switzerland in second and third respectively. The study consisted of 48 European countries that were examined for rankings by Initial Coin Offering (ICO) regulations, regulations on crypto as a payment service, and taxation frameworks for crypto. Switzerland is known as a crypto-friendly nation due to both its establishment of a virtual currency hub, “crypto valley,” …